Blaise Sopiwnik
Blaise Sopiwnik will join the coaching staff this year as the assistant Men’s Cross Country Coach. Coach Sopiwnik brings a great combination of enthusiasm and experience to the coaching staff. He was a multiple state championship competitor for Frederic High School, in Frederic Wisconsin in both Cross Country and Track. He competed one year at Augustana College in Sioux Fall, South Dakota. He then transferred to Northland College and was a member of the Cross Country team for the next three years. Coach Sopiwnik was a two time conference champion for the LumberJacks. He graduated from Northland in 2003 with a degree in Environmental Studies .

Coach Sopiwnik currently works for Edmunds and Company restoring log cabins and spends his free time fly fishing, sailing, and eating Italian food. He lives outside of the town of Washburn and enjoys long runs in the Chequamegon National forest.

Laura Jach
Laura Jach is a recent graduate of Northland College and brings a great deal of talent to her position as the Women’s Assistant Cross Country Coach. She attended high school in her hometown of Brookfield, WI where she was a 1^st team All-Conference and an individual qualifier for the state Cross Country meet. While attending Northland, Coach Jach was All-Conference her Junior year. Illness cut her season short for her senior year.

She currently works for the Sigrud Olsen Environmental Institute and the UW-Extension as a Horticultural Assistant.

Kathy Gang, MD
Dr. Kathy Gang will return for a fourth year as an assistant for the men’s and women’s cross country teams. She received her bachelors of art degree in Biophysics and Physiology from the University of Illinois and her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Coach Gang has worked as a doctor since 1995 and has been in Ashland sine 1998 employed at the Main Street Clinic as a family practitioner. “Coach Gang is a wonderful addition to the Northland Coaching staff. Her knowledge of training and medical background provides a wealth of information to our runners. More importantly, Coach Gang’s caring and supportive attitude adds to the family atmosphere of the Cross Country program here at Northland College.

Coach Gang lives in the Ashland area and enjoys cross country skiing, running, biking, soccer, kayaking, and music.